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Gone Phishin’ When I was a wee lass, my Grandpa George would take me to the pond on a warm Saturday afternoon and we’d fish for hours. Unfortunately, this type of Phishing has nothing to do with warm fuzzy memories of my Grandfather. Phishing (sounds just like fishing) usually arrives in your inbox in the form of a spoofed e-mail message. It sure looks legit, huh? Well, it’s not. Phishers blast e-mail messages in the hopes you’ll take the bait and click the links, which will redirect you to a fake website. What do they want? Your account numbers, PIN numbers, SSNs: anything they can use to gain entry to bank and brokerage accounts and other financial information. Remember, your brokerage, bank, credit union and credit card provider will never ask for this information via e-mail. They will never ask you to login to your account to confirm information. If you feel you’ve been phished, do not access the links included in the e-mail. Also, reporting the phishing to your ISP and the Anti-Phishing Working Group (http://www.antiphishing.org/). The Paper Trail – Snatch that Receipt I bet you’re the type to leave the receipt at the gas pump and at the ATM when you make that late night deposit. Smack on the hand and shame on you – stop doing that! Take ALL receipts when you make a purchase or a deposit, when you return items, etc. When you go to the clothing store, take the receipt out of the bag and place it in your wallet. Save all receipts until you receive your end-of-month statements (see Two Dollars below). Also, don’t throw away your receipts; see my notes on shredding It’s … Like … Magic! Pet Peeve: Folks who use cheesy passwords to protect their online accounts – you people make me crazy! I recently hired a client and I’m managing several e-mail accounts for him. Guess what password he used for ALL of them? You guessed it: magic. I immediately changed the passwords on all of the accounts and then we had a chat. You should never use a word you can find in a dictionary as your password. You should never use your birthday, the names of your wife or children or dog as passwords. Use a combination of letters and numbers and where possible, add special characters such as a bang (!) to your password. Also, change your passwords frequently, such as once a quarter or every six months. What’s the “S” for, Anyway? Ever notice certain website changes when you’re making online purchases? There’s an “s” which appears after HTTP, for starters. This let’s you know you’re on a secure server. Also, check the status bar on the window you’re using to make the purchase. You should see a yellow padlock -- mouse over the lock and you’ll see the encryption level for the site. If you don’t see both of these items, do not make the purchase right now and notify the vendor. Go back and make the purchase at a later time. I Didn’t Charge Two Dollars Every month, without fail, I want to you check your statements from your credit union, bank, brokerage, credit card companies -- any institution from which you receive a paper statement or an online statement. If the bad guys have access to your account, they may try and slip in a small charge before coming with the big guns. Take a look at each and every line item and verify you’ve made the purchase. If something is amiss, call that institution immediately. The Joy of Shredding I have a special “shred” basket near my desk and shred all of the basket’s contents at the end of the work day. My personal receipts, which I no longer need and have reconciled against my online statements, get shredded. All working documents I’ve printed or proofed, especially for my attorney clients, are blitzed at the end of day as well. Anything which may personally identify me or one of my clients gets the treatment. You have no logical excuse for not owning a shredder. Price? Hardly an issue. You don’t have a car to get to the office supply store? If you’re reading this article that means you’ve got internet access. Start a new browser window NOW and access your favorite online office supply vendor. You’ll have your new shredder in a matter of days and you too can become a Shredder Queen (or King). We live in a different world from just a generation ago. Be smart, be aware and remember that if something seems too good to be true, it is.
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Advice Home Business Technology Online Advertising Motivational Internet Marketing SEO Help Online Games Science Articles Happiness More Articles:1. Yes, You Can Say No It is perfectly OK to say, 'No.' You have permission. Many people do not like to disappoint others by saying, 'No.' They will tend to acquiesce even when overloaded. Sometimes those with the need to please will agree to do something when it is not in their best interest just to be accommodating. Saying yes when we want or need to say no is a way to put others first. Indeed we don't want to hurt others' feelings, however we hurt our own when we ov… 2. Cellular Phone Buyers Information The Hottest thing with cell phones is the ability to take pictures with your cell phone. You can take pictures with your cell phone and e-mail them to family and friends with the touch of a few buttons. There are no tricks involved and it is a fairly simple process. Just aim and shoot to capture all the fun right on your cell phone. Press a few buttons and bam it's right on your freinds phone or sent to their email.Factory-to-dealer sales of ca… 3. Enlightened Millionaire Donations So you have finally made it. You have traveled down the enlightened millionaire path and accumulated more wealth then you could ever hope to spend. You are a millionaire multiple times over and now you are looking for help to put your money to good use within the community you grew up in. For starters, congratulations! Not everyone that commits to becoming a millionaire actually achieves this goal. There are many that get lost along the way. The… 4. How to Wind a Cuckoo Clock We have a lot of clocks in our home. Most of them make some sortof noise on the hour (steam trains, cartoon characters, birds,dogs, horses, wild animals; I'm not kidding!), some of them onthe half-hour as well, and one that even chimes on the quarterhour. We just like clocks. Needless to say, we are usuallyaware of the time! Some of my favorites are the cuckoo clocksthat we purchased on a trip to the Black Forest, and they neededsome TLC: cleanin… |